earl
noun
a British nobleman of a rank below that of marquis and above that of viscount: called count for a time after the Norman conquest. The wife of an earl is a countess.
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earl
1 American
[url]
/ ɜrl /
noun
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earls
plural
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a British nobleman of a rank below that of marquis and above that of viscount: called count for a time after the Norman conquest. The wife of an earl is a countess.
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(in Anglo-Saxon England) a governor of one of the great divisions of England, including East Anglia, Mercia, Northumbria, and Wessex.
Earl
2
American
[url]
/ ɜrl /
Or
Earle
noun
earl
British
/ ɜːl /
noun
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Female equivalent: countess. (in the British Isles) a nobleman ranking below a marquess and above a viscount
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(in Anglo-Saxon England) a royal governor of any of the large divisions of the kingdom, such as Wessex
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of earl
before 900; Middle English erl, Old English eorl; cognate with Old Saxon erl man, Old Norse jarl chieftain
Explanation
An earl is a member of the British nobility. An earl is ranked above a viscount or a baron, in case you know those titles. Earl certainly carries more clout than "Mister"! One of the ceremonial titles given to noblemen in the United Kingdom is earl. Being an earl used to come with a great deal of power and control over a certain region, including the authority to pass judgment in courts of law. While it's still prestigious to be an earl, there's less actual power involved in the position. The word itself comes from the Old English word eorl, "brave man, warrior, leader, or chief."
Vocabulary lists containing earl
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Spencer—an earl, historian and former NBC journalist—in his book “Swan Song: Diana, My Sister” has again swung the spotlight back to that difficult time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
The earl has denied siding with the Duke of Sussex over his brother, the Prince of Wales.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
"Monstrous", is the paper's one-word headline in reference to how the earl characterised the King's words.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
Similarly, the earl of Peterborough's son refused both to remove his hat and to enter a plea when tried for treason in 1658.
From Science Daily ● May 7, 2026
Father led the way to the dining room, leaving the earl to offer me his arm.
From "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine
Back row Ben Earl pumping his fist to celebrate Ireland's crooked line-out throw in a pre-tournament warm-up was a particular source of online mockery.
From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2026
And always a cup of Earl Grey tea.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
This road trip continues a series exploring California’s overlooked scenic highways, inspired in part by artist Earl Thollander’s 1971“Back Roads of California,” whose sketches and travel notes celebrated a slower way of traveling.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
Another group member is aristocrat David Lascelles, the Earl of Harewood, whose family has close links to the royal family.
From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2026
That’s also what he calls politics and what happened to Mr. Earl after he broke into the Jackson blood bank.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
We may not be earls or billionaires, but we can eat like them.
From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2025
Its inhabitants are those of “there will always be an England” England: stern vicars, timid curates, lords and earls, penniless titled wastrels living on allowances from their uncles, imperious aunts, upper-crust twits.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 18, 2025
There are entries for dukes, earls and many pages devoted to Queen Victoria, whose purchases included “2 Striped waistcoats with sleeves” and “5 pairs Western Angolan trousers.”
From New York Times ● Nov. 15, 2020
The tradition caught on and English colleges became diploma mills for earls and barons who never cracked a book or scribbled on parchment in their storied halls.
From Washington Times ● May 9, 2018
If this ex- panded idea of freedom spread, how safe were the kings and dukes, earls and knights, of England?
From "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science" by Marc Aronson
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